Dying Mouse Gambit
by marymin
Summary: Request for a Kidokano mafia au. Warnings for blood and character death. Update: I don't know what was going on but I fixed it


The alley was empty, but they watched it for several minutes anyway, ears strained for the noise of footsteps. There was no sound but the light drizzle that was dripping down the backs of their collars, and no sign of life anywhere. It was late at night, so the lack of traffic wasn't particularly odd. Nonetheless, they had to be careful. The two of them couldn't afford to be seen.

After minutes had passed, Kido crossed the alleyway, her green ponytail catching the light from what little showed of the moon until she vanished into the shadows again. Still, Kano could pick out the shape of her, pressed against the wall and gun cradled close to her body. She was still for a moment, blending in as effortlessly as ever, before beckoning him over in a flicker of movement. He joined her, his progress not quite as silent, his boot splashing into a puddle, and they both winced and froze. No one seemed to have heard.

Once sure, they went into motion again, Kano kneeling in front of the door and sliding his lock picks from his sleeve. He didn't have to look over his shoulder to know Kido was covering him, her dark eyes scanning the alley. He trusted her with his life, after all.

It took only a few tries to find the proper picks, and he slid them into the lock with ease, a smile on his face as he worked at it. From a young age the three of them had been doing things like this, breaking into buildings just to have someplace warm to sleep at night. Life was hard for three orphans living on the streets, and staying honest was out of the question.

The satisfying 'clunk' of the lock coming undone was one of Kano's favorite sounds, and he closed his eyes to properly enjoy it for a moment before withdrawing the lock picks and slipping them into the loops of threads in his sleeves where they belonged.

"We're in," he announced, daring to raise his voice to an almost-normal level as he stood, even though Kido whirled around to glare at him, a shushing finger on her lips.

Kano shrugged and turned on his heel to enter the building. Just as he suspected, the interior wasn't nice enough to be one of the main buildings for the Snakes. It was probably only a storehouse associated with them, and a minor one at that.

Of course, that made it the perfect place for the stolen heirloom to be hidden. Azami's instructions were clear. Get in, get the item, get back out. Don't let anyone see them.

There didn't seem to be any guards, but Kano knew those bums supposedly sleeping in the gutters out front weren't exactly all they'd seemed. He'd walked this street seven times in the last two days, each time in a different disguise, and from what he'd picked up, the heirloom had to be here. It didn't seem like a big deal to him— a fancy gun passed down from Kozakura to Kozakura, engraved with snake-shapes and probably useless in a fight.

To a kid who'd grown up without even a penny to his name, it seemed stupid to risk their lives for a trinket like that. But if it had been up to him, they wouldn't have gotten mixed up with the Kozakuras anyway.

He huffed a little, though his smile didn't change, and turned to the first crate, lifting the lid and leaning over the edge to peer inside.

"Just beer!" he announced in a whisper, lifting a bottle so Kido could see. "Hey, Kido, wanna get drunk with me?"

She tutted at him, stowing her gun away and shaking her head. "You're going to get us killed. Put that back."

Pretending to sulk, Kano did as he was told, and they began to systematically search the room, him working along the left rows of crates and boxes, and her taking the right. "Hey, Kido," he repeated, struggling with the catch of a heavy wooden chest and finding it full of sparkling short dresses. "You'd look pretty in one of these, y'think?"

He held one up for inspection, the hem seeming shockingly short even against his smaller frame, and he could see her rolling her eyes, even in the gloom.

"C'mon, what do you think? Let's ditch this mission and run off instead." He shook the short dress and light glittered off it and left shimmering reflections on the wall.

"Idiot. Put that down, we've got to find the gun."

But once Kano got an idea in his head, it seemed he couldn't be dissuaded. Though he returned the dress to the chest, he made his way towards Kido's half of the room, trailing after her as she searched. "You always wanted a regular life, right? When we were kids?"

She stopped, squinting into one of the crates, before turning to study his face. His wide smile didn't waver.

"You're serious, aren't you?" she asked after a second. It wouldn't be the first time Kano suggested they play hooky on a mission, but she knew him too well to not recognize the underlying persistence in him now. She just didn't know where it was coming from.

"Risking our lives is fun and all," Kano complained, folding his arms behind his head, "but it was more fun when the only people trying to kill us were people we pissed off personally."

"We're very lucky the Kozakuras look out for us," Kido said, a note of warning in her voice. "You remember what it was like."

Kano hummed, not even pretending to look for the gun anymore. His gaze was focused only on her face. "We're not kids anymore. We could make it if we left."

He stepped forward, closing the distance between them, and tugged at the front of her jacket, straightening her collar. She didn't pull away.

"Let's go. Just us two, let's run."

Then she did pull away, stepping back and crossing her arms. "Just us two? What about Seto?"

Kano laughed, but it wasn't one of his easy chuckles or teasing snickers. It was a wild laugh, with a desperate spin— Kido could tell this wasn't going as planned, no matter what his plan had been.

"You really think he's gonna leave? He's in too deep with them. But you're not, I know you're not—"

His voice rose, almost pleading, and her expression was inscrutable. Before she could reply, the lights flicked on and they spun to stare towards the doorway.

A tall man with dark hair leaned against the door, regarding them with a wide grin that was anything but friendly. His clothes were black, but that didn't hide the streaks of blood on his hands and shirt.

Kano's breath hissed out between his teeth, his eyes going wide, and Kido flung herself between the two of them, fumbling for her gun, but it wasn't where she'd tucked it into her jacket.

She turned, thinking she'd dropped it, only to find the weapon in Kano's hands. He raised the gun shakily, looking over her shoulder to the newcomer.

"Kuroha."

Kido stared at him, stared at the gun he must have stolen from her earlier.

"You weren't getting anywhere with her," Kuroha drawled, pulling a knife from seemingly midair. Blood coated the blade, and he began to clean it on the edge of his sleeve. "I've already gone and come back, and you're still here, after all."

"Gone…?" Kido asked, before rounding on Kano. "What's going on!"

Kano didn't answer.

"Our trade's complete," Kuroha reminded him, before the smile dropped off his face like it had never been there at all. "Now get out of my warehouse."

"Shuuya, what's he talking about—"

"I don't have time for your relationship squabbles," Kuroha complained, pointing the knife in their direction. He was still far away, but if the reports were correct, that wouldn't ensure their safety. "I've just killed very many people and captured the granddaughter of my rival, and I want to go home now. Scram."

Kano's mouth was dry, but he did his best, pleading, "Tsubomi—"

"Did he kill Seto?!" Kido suddenly demanded.

"I didn't tell him to do that—"

"Bored now," Kuroha announced, and his voice was in Kido's ear. She yelled in shock and Kano stepped back, staggering on uneven floorboards and almost falling.

"She's not going to come with you," the dark haired man told Kano, suddenly far too close for comfort. "You might as well kill her. I'll give you a place with my house."

Kano's hands shook, but he still held the gun. Kido's eyes widened as she realized he was still pointing it at her, and then her lip curled with disgust. "You're pathetic," she snarled at him, and Kano stared back at her, a look of terror on his face.

"Shoot her, or I kill both of you," Kuroha said, though neither of them were looking at him now. When they continued to ignore him, he started to count.

"Three…"

"Disgusting," Kido gritted through her teeth, tears burning in her eyes.

"Two…"

"I didn't want this—"

"One."

A loud bang echoed through the warehouse, followed by the muffled thump of a body striking the floor.

Kuroha smiled, clapping Kano on the shoulder. When the boy wouldn't stop shaking, he dug his fingers in until he cried out, dropping the gun.

"Welcome to the team," he sneered, and Kano didn't reply.


End file.
